Management at Ford Motor Company is trying to frighten professional staff
into dropping their threat of industrial action, the MSF union is claiming.
The union’s general secretary Roger Lyons told Personnel Today that rumours
about plant closures have angered members. "This fiasco annoyed them. They
are trying to frighten our people into losing their resolve. "
Rumours of plant closures filled the media last Thursday, after unnamed
managers were said by the Financial Times to be expressing fears over the future
of the Dagenham plant in Essex. The suspicion is that Ford deliberately fed
reports to the media to scare staff into submission.
As a result staff feared an announcement due later that day of job losses.
In fact it was about a home PCscheme for staff.
MSF has more than 2,000 members involved in the dispute with Ford.
Professional staff, including engineers, IT and clerical staff, are demanding a
pay deal equivalent to that already agreed by hourly-paid staff.
They also oppose Ford’s demand to merge the Professional Staff and Hourly
Paid pensions.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
Unions representing staff said last week their members had voted to take
strike action.
AFord spokeswoman said Ford of Europe chairman Nick Scheele spoke to the FT
about the company’s global future. She said his comments and the timing of the
dispute were coincidental. She could not comment on speculation by unnamed
managers.
